World History Chapter 15/16 Vocabulary

UN Security Council

A 15-member panel which bears the UN's major responsibility for keeping international peace.

Soviet Union

A Communist nation, consisting of Russia and 14 other states, that existed from 1922 to 1991.

Arab Spring

A revolutionary wave of protests and demonstrations overtaking dictators in the Middle East (2011)

United Nations

An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation.

Syrian Civil War

An ongoing armed conflict in Syria between forces loyal to the Syrian Ba'ath Party government and those seeking to oust it. The conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. Protesters demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad, whose family has held the presidency in Syria since 1971.

Mummar Qaddafi

He was the Libyan President who was passed the torch after the death of Gama Abdul Nassar. He had ambitions to create a greater Muslim nation in the Sahara under his authority which led to conflict with the neighboring Chad.

Technology

Knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings

Mexico Drug War

Mexican theater of the global war on drugs, as led by the U.S. federal government, that has resulted in an ongoing asymmetric low-intensity conflict between the Mexican government and various drug trafficking syndicates.

greenhouse effect

Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases

NAFTA

North American Free Trade Agreement; allows open trade with US, Mexico, and Canada.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries.

Middle East oil crisis

Oct. 1973 (eve of Yom Kippur) Egypt and Syria attack Israel; America sends aid to Israel-> Arabs cut off oil shipments to U.S. •oil prices soar •1974, embargo is lifted, but Arab nations now know that restricting oil raises the price

Palestinian State

Officially recognized as the State of Palestine by the United Nations and other entities, is a de jure sovereign state in Western Asia officially governed by the Palestine Liberation Organization

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

President of Brazil from 2003 to the present. Campaigned for social change, and faced many challenges when elected, such as one of the largest gaps between the rich and poor in the world. Has faced accusations of corruption

Hosni Mubarak

President of Egypt since 1981, succeeding Anwar Sadat and continuing his polices of cooperation with the West.

September 11, 2001

September 11, 2001 *Day of attacks by terrorist cells connected to the Al Qaeda network, which was led by Osama bin Laden, a Saudi dissident *Al Qaeda operatives hijacked two airliners and crashed them into NY's World Trade Center, destroying the buildings and killing thousands *Another hijacked plane hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. *A final hijacked plane was diverted from its mission, crashing in Pennsylvania *As a result of the attacks, Congress passed the USA Patriot Act, which broadened government authority to gather intelligence and further defined crimes that were punishable as terrorism *Attacks led to the invasion of Afghanistan

Bashar al-Assad

Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the Secretary-General of the Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party.

human trafficking

The illegal trade of human beings, a modern-day form of slavery, for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or involuntary military combat.

deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.

Institutional Revolutionary Party

a political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 and held uninterrupted power in the country for 71 years, from 1929 to 2000, first as the National Revolutionary Party, then as the Party of the Mexican Revolution and finally as the PRI beginning in 1946.

Kyoto Protocol

an amendment to the international treaty on climate change designed to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by specific countries

Argentina Financial Crisis

an economic depression in Argentina, which began in the third quarter of 1998 and lasted until the second quarter of 2002. It followed the fifteen years stagnation and a brief period of free-market reforms.

Iran

home to one of the world's oldest civilizations, a theocratic Islamic republic in the Middle East in western Asia; Iran was the core of the ancient empire that was known as Persia until 1935; rich in oil.

population growth

increase in the number of people who inhabit a territory or state

H1N1

swine flu (2009) Pandemic

WTO (World Trade Organization)

the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations